NewsMonarch Airlines enters administration, grounds all flightsMonarch Airlines has entered administration and all flights have been cancelled with immediate effect. Monarch has appointed three partners from KPMG to be the administrators of the company, says the accounting firm in a statement.
LinkMonarch collapse spurs huge repatriation effortCollapse of the UK's Monarch Airlines has spurred the government to arrange a huge repatriation effort to deal with up to 110,000 passengers abroad. Transport secretary Chris Grayling claims the operation will amount to the UK's "biggest ever peacetime repatriation", effectively building a "temporary airline from scratch".
LinkUSAF working with US airline industry to address pilot shortageThe US Air Force and the nation's regional airlines have discussed developing a joint "National Training Academy" to help address a pilot shortage playing out across the USA. "We have got to work together so we can help each other," says Gen Carlton Everhart, commander of the USAF Air Mobility Command. "We have to find ways to fix this hemorrhage."
LinkSkyWest orders another 20 E-JetsBrazilian airframer Embraer has sold another 20 E-Jets to US regional airline company SkyWest Inc in a deal valued at $941 million at list prices, Embraer announces. SkyWest's order includes the purchase of five 76-seat E175s and 15 of Embraer's newly-designated E175-SC (special configuration), a version of the E175 that is outfitted with just 70 seats.
LinkUS Navy confirms T-45 trainer crashThe US Navy has confirmed an instructor and student pilot dead after a T-45 Goshawk trainer crashed in Tennessee Sunday night. The service reported the trainer aircraft missing after the T-45 departed from Knoxville, Tennessee for NAS Meridian, Mississippi on Sunday.
LinkChina's J-20 reaches service milestoneThe Chengdu J-20 fighter has entered service with the Chinese air force, as reports of emerge of progress with indigenous engines. A brief, three-line statement from the Chinese ministry of defence said the devleopmental type had entered service, but added little else.
LinkBig troubles in the large-cabin segmentFor the three main rivals in the large-cabin, long-range segment, 2017 has brought encouraging news from a programme perspective. After a near three-year hiatus caused by problems with its Safran Silvercrest engine, Dassault’s Falcon 5X made its first flight in July – with a preliminary version of the powerplant. At the same time, the French manufacturer reiterated that its latest type will be delivered by its new target in-service date of 2020. As the launch platform for an all-new Safran engine, the 5X was always going to be a guinea pig, although the impact on Dassault has been hard.
LinkInvestigation underway into Air France A380 engine failureAn investigation is underway after an Air France Airbus A380 made an unscheduled landing in Canada after one of its four engines failed. The A380, operating as flight AF66 and powered by Engine Alliance GP7200 engines, was en route from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Los Angeles Sept. 30 when it diverted to Goose Bay, Canada, following the uncontained engine failure.
LinkSouthwest places nine 737 MAX 8s into serviceSouthwest Airlines launched the Boeing 737 MAX 8 into revenue service on its network Oct. 1, flying from Dallas Love Field to Houston Hobby Airport for its first official flight with the CFM International LEAP-1B-powered aircraft. Southwest chairman and CEO Gary Kelly called the MAX 8 “the future of the Southwest fleet.” The Dallas-based carrier launched nine 737 MAX 8s into service Oct. 1 and will add five more to its fleet by the end of 2017.
LinkEasyJet adds four airlines to new booking platformUK-based LCC easyJet, which launched a new booking platform called Worldwide by easyJet in September, will add four partner airlines by the end of the year.
LinkThree teams eye A321 freighter conversion marketThe Airbus A321 has long been viewed as an ideal passenger aircraft to convert to a freighter. It would hit an appealing sweet spot in size and operating costs that would likely interest cargo carriers, especially express operators moving cargo quickly in markets like the US and western Europe.
LinkSIA Group, Lufthansa Group launch joint venture Singapore Airlines Group (SIA) and Lufthansa Group launched a joint venture (JV) covering flights between Singapore, Australia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Belgium Oct. 1. Additionally, flights operated by SIA, Lufthansa and Lufthansa-subsidiary SWISS between Singapore and Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich and Zurich will be included in a revenue-sharing agreement between the two airline groups.
LinkChorus Aviation Capital acquires two E195 leases from Brazil’s AzulHalifax, Canada-based Chorus Aviation Capital (CAC), the aircraft leasing subsidiary of Chorus Aviation, has acquired three aircraft—two Embraer E195s and one E190 with attached leases.
LinkEmirates-flydubai codeshare to add 29 new destinationsDubai-based Emirates Airline is adding 29 new destinations to its network through codeshares with flydubai, following a partnership agreement the two government-owned carriers reached in July.
LinkGulf Air, Turkish Airlines ink codeshare dealBahrain-based Gulf Air and Istanbul-based Turkish Airlines are to codeshare on their services between Bahrain and Istanbul. Each carrier offers a daily service between the two points. From Nov. 1, both daily services will operate under the new codeshare agreement. Istanbul is a popular destination for Gulf nationals for both business and leisure activities.
LinkThomas Cook, Air Transat to exchange aircraft seasonallyLeisure carriers Air Transat and Thomas Cook Airlines signed a seven-year agreement for the exchange of aircraft on a seasonal basis, which will enable the two carriers to manage their fleets more efficiently. The deal calls for UK-based Thomas Cook to make available a number of narrowbody Airbus A321s every winter to Montreal-based Air Transat, which will receive at least one widebody A330-200 in return.
LinkLufthansa Technik, GE Aviation lay foundation for XEOS facilityLufthansa Technik and GE Aviation have begun to lay the foundation on a new engine MRO service facility and joint venture, XEOS, in Southwest Poland to overhaul GEnx-2B and GE9X engines. The new XEOS facility represents an investment of $274 million and is expected to open in spring 2019.
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